Cosmetic Dental Procedures
Cosmetic dentistry has been around for awhile, but it is only in the past fifty or sixty years that it has been raised to a complex science - and most of the dramatic advances in cosmetic dental procedures have taken place only in the past fifteen years or so.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are perhaps the oldest of the most frequently-performed cosmetic dental procedures, and are used to treat a number of different conditions. These were first developed well over seventy years ago in order to provide a quick temporary "fix" for Hollywood stars with less than perfect teeth just before going on camera. Porcelain veneers are literally pieces of porcelain - similar to that used to make fine china dinnerware - that are colored to match the patient's natural teeth and fitted over chipped or broken teeth for restoration purposes.
Dental Bonding
If a chipped tooth is not beyond repair, the cosmetic dentist may choose to employ dental bonding. In this case, the dentist uses a type of resin polymer in order to sculpt the part of the tooth that is missing, restoring it to its original, undamaged condition.
Dental Bridges
This is also among some of the more common cosmetic dental procedures, and is similar to dentures. Known as pontics (after the Latin word pontus, meaning "bridge"), this technique involves the creation of an artificial tooth to replace a missing one - literally "bridging the gap" between the two healthy teeth on either side, which hold the bridge in place.
Dental Implants
These are another type of artificial tooth, but it a much more involved procedure. Dental implants are literally inserted into the socket left behind by a missing tooth. Unlike a bridge, a dental implant is actually inserted into the jaw; the most common and effective method allows the root of the artificial tooth to fuse with the bone, creating a permanent replacement.
Cosmetic Dentistry
